Founded to serve Roman Catholics across the U.S. and Canada, it is the first diocese of its kind in North America.

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Based in Houston, Texas, this Ordinariate has more than 40 Roman Catholic parishes and communities across the United States and Canada.

The Ordinariate was created to provide a path for groups of Anglicans to become fully Roman Catholic, while retaining elements of their worship traditions and spiritual heritage in their union with the Catholic Church. The Ordinariate is a key ecumenical venture exemplifying the Second Vatican Council’s vision for Christian unity, in which diverse expressions of one faith are joined together in the Church.

The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter was established in response to repeated and persistent inquiries from Anglicans who over time, have come to identify the Catholic Church as their home. Those joining the Ordinariate have discerned they are truly Catholic in what they believe and desire full membership in the Catholic Church.

There are three Personal Ordinariates in the world: Our Lady of Walsingham in the United Kingdom; the Chair of Saint Peter in the United States and Canada; and Our Lady of the Southern Cross in Australia.

Parishes and communities in the Ordinariates are fully Roman Catholic, but retain elements of Anglican traditions in their liturgy, hospitality and ministries.

In the Second Vatican Council’s Decree on Ecumenism (Unitatis redintegatio), the Catholic Church specified what it would look like to bring all Christians together into communion. The Council said Christian groups would bring their own distinctive traditions to the Catholic Church; they would not be suppressed or absorbed. The Vatican’s remarkable ecumenical gesture in establishing the Ordinariates affirms the Catholic Church’s view that the patrimony of differing Christian spiritualities and liturgies is a treasure meant to be shared within the Catholic tradition.

Called to be gracious instruments of Christian unity, members of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter are led by a bishop who is appointed by the Pope. Bishop Steven J. Lopes was appointed by Pope Francis to be the first bishop of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter.

Like other bishops in the United States and Canada, the bishop serves under the direct authority of the Pope to build up the Catholic Church through mutual mission and ministry.

The bishop is a full member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.

How do I become a canonical member of the Ordinariate?

Any Catholic can belong to an Ordinariate parish like St. Alban's, without necessarily having to become a canonical member of the Ordinariate. A person is not automatically a member of the Ordinariate, unless he or she is a minor child of an Ordinariate member. Those who want to belong to the Ordinariate must:

1) Be eligible (see below), and 2) Submit a signed membership application to their local Ordinariate Pastor (at St. Alban's, this is Fr. Evan). Signing the form is the canonical act by which you manifest your desire to enter the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter.Click HERE to download membership form

Once your membership application is complete, please give it to Fr. Evan who will then send it to the Ordinariate's chancery in Houston for processing.

Membership Eligibility Those who are eligible for membership in the Ordinariate must be able to answer YES to one or more of the following questions:

Are you a former Anglican, Methodist, or member of an ecclesial communion that inclues those of Anglican hertage (United Church of Canada, Charismatic Episcopal Church, etc.) who is now in full communion with the Catholic Church?

Are you a current Anglican or Methodist intending to be received into the Catholic Church AND currently enrolled in adult catechesis to be received into the Catholic Church?

Are you a Roman Catholic in full communion with the Catholic Church AND who has a family member(s) who is (are) a canonical member(s) of the Ordinariate?

Have you completed or are you a candidate for any or all of the Sacraments of Initiation through an Ordinariate parish?

Are you a Roman Catholic in full communion with the Catholic Church AND who has a family member(s) who is (are) a candidate(s) for any or all Sacraments of Initiation through an Ordinariate parish?

If you can affirm one or more of the above statements, you are eligible for consideration of canonical membership in the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter.

What if I am not eligible for membership? Even if you do not meet any of the requirements for membership in the Ordinariate, you are both welcomed and encouraged to register as a parishioner at St. Alban's, and fully participate in parish life. You do not need to be a registered member of the Ordinariate in order to be a full registered member of an Ordinariate parish. Whether you're an Ordinariate member or not, we invite you to make St. Alban's your church home!